Quick answer
The Sharing the planet theme covers the challenges and opportunities of living together on one planet: the environment, rights, equality, globalization, ethics, and urban and rural life. These 15 questions are original Nektar practice questions in three steps: describe, justify and evaluate. They are not official IB questions. Your teacher asks their own questions in the individual oral, so use these to practise the kinds of answers you will need.
Where theme questions come up
In the current course the individual oral has a presentation, a follow-up discussion about your stimulus and a general discussion that moves to at least one other theme. You cannot know the questions in advance. You can practise the moves: describing, giving an opinion with a reason, comparing and evaluating.
The timing guide shows how long each part lasts.
Step 1: describe and explain
Choose a scale: your school, your town or your country.
- What environmental problem is most visible where you live?
- What does your school do to reduce waste, and does it work?
- Would you rather live in a city or in the countryside, and why?
- Describe a campaign that made you change a habit.
- How do you travel to school, and what would make that journey greener?
IB English B in Nektar
Practise IB English B in the Nektar app.
Choose SL or HL, work through reading, listening and vocabulary lessons, and get feedback on Paper 1 writing and individual oral responses. Keep official IB material for your checkpoints.
Step 2: compare and justify
Say who should act and how success would be measured.
- Who has more responsibility for the climate: individuals, companies or governments?
- Should cheap clothing be taxed to cover its environmental cost?
- Is globalization making cultures more similar?
- Are protests an effective way to defend rights?
- Should cars be banned from city centres?
Step 3: evaluate and connect
Link the theme to another theme or to an English-speaking culture you have studied.
- Can technology solve environmental problems without changes in lifestyle?
- How do environmental problems affect rich and poor communities differently?
- What can one school realistically change, and how would you prove it?
- How is an environmental or rights issue handled in an English-speaking country you have studied?
- Is it fair to ask developing countries to limit growth for the climate?
A frame for a strong answer
Answer the question in your first sentence. Add a reason, then a specific example from your own life, your school or something you have read. Finish with a limit or a second point of view. Four sentences in that order take about thirty seconds and give the teacher something to follow up.
Record three answers from different steps and listen back. Check whether you answered the question that was asked, whether the example was specific and whether you repeated the same few words. The Sharing the planet vocabulary list gives you alternatives.
In the Nektar app you can record individual oral responses at SL or HL and get feedback on language, message and interactive skills. It is practice feedback, not an IB mark.
- Direct answer
- Reason
- Specific example
- Limit or other view
Frequently asked questions
Are these official IB English B oral questions?
No. They are original Nektar practice questions. In the individual oral your teacher asks questions based on your stimulus and your answers.
Should I memorize answers to these questions?
No. Memorized answers break down when the question changes slightly. Practise the answer frame with different questions instead.
Can I use these questions for Paper 1 ideas?
Yes. Many of them work as starting points for an opinion column, a speech or a blog post on the Sharing the planet theme.
IB English B in Nektar
Practise IB English B in the Nektar app.
Choose SL or HL, work through reading, listening and vocabulary lessons, and get feedback on Paper 1 writing and individual oral responses. Keep official IB material for your checkpoints.